More questions for choosing 5.1 speaker system

[Grymlot]

I'm building a 5.1 system with the idea that I may add 2 or 4 in-ceiling atmos speakers in the future. I'm trying to keep my budget around $1,500 for these 6 speakers, not including the receiver. I'm buying them for a room that's 11.5ft x 16ft, dedicated for watching movies.

Having searched for HTIB/package deals from the brands I see favored (polk, elac, svs, klipsch, fluance, etc.), I'm moving on to lumping speakers together myself to compare prices and stats.

-My guess from what I've learned is that it's as simple as slapping together the following, as long as their from the same brand and line, such as the Polk Monitor XT line, for example.
-2 towers for front left & right
-2 bookshelf speakers for surround left & right
-1 center channel
-1 subwoofer

Do I have that right?


-Are bookshelf speakers the standard option for my surround left and right? I have seen some bi-directional surrounds and "satellite" speakers, but not sure I know the difference.


-For the center channel, I noticed a couple of Polk's lines have a center channel with 2 5 inch woofers (XT30) and another center channel with 4 3" woofers (XT35). The XT35 is more expensive, but I can't tell if they are up-charging for the compact design or if I should expect better sound from a higher quantity of speakers/drivers?
-Monitor XT30 Center Channel Speaker
-Monitor XT35 Center Channel Speaker

 

[Eppie]

I think Polk is charging more for the slim design. Yes, you want 5 speakers for the bed layer plus the sub. $1,500 is a pretty tight budget for all 6 if you are including a subwoofer. Your best speakers should be the front 3 and the subwoofer. There are a lot of crappy subs in the lower end so choose it carefully. If you have a price in mind, look for reviews on this site and on Erin's Audio Corner on Youtube. Monolith (Monoprice) has good performance per dollar both in speakers and subs.

If you get a good subwoofer, then you can consider running bookshelves in the front instead of towers. There are some package deals on Crutchfield you could consider, in particular the ones from SVS. SVS sells 5 Satellite speakers plus a 12" sub for $1200 ($1400 for white or gloss black). You would need to have enough room around the TV to fit a Satellite speaker below or above for the center. The plus is that SVS makes very good subs.

Another option is to spend a little more for good towers and save up for a sub later. The Prime Tower 5.0 system is $1750 but you be getting A) a good pair of towers B) a good 3-way center speaker. 3-way centers are preferred to 2-way (like the XT30). The Prime Towers go down to 30 Hz, so while not as deep as a sub (which should go down to 20Hz) they do produce a lot of bass and could do well until you can add a sub. I would still add a sub later as you want extension down to 20Hz for movie effects and some music.

If you have other options in mind, post here and others can offer advice.

 

[-Jim-]

I'm building a 5.1 system with the idea that I may add 2 or 4 in-ceiling atmos speakers in the future. I'm trying to keep my budget around $1,500 for these 6 speakers, not including the receiver. I'm buying them for a room that's 11.5ft x 16ft, dedicated for watching movies.

Having searched for HTIB/package deals from the brands I see favored (polk, elac, svs, klipsch, fluance, etc.), I'm moving on to lumping speakers together myself to compare prices and stats.

-My guess from what I've learned is that it's as simple as slapping together the following, as long as their from the same brand and line, such as the Polk Monitor XT line, for example.
-2 towers for front left & right
-2 bookshelf speakers for surround left & right
-1 center channel
-1 subwoofer

Do I have that right?


-Are bookshelf speakers the standard option for my surround left and right? I have seen some bi-directional surrounds and "satellite" speakers, but not sure I know the difference.


-For the center channel, I noticed a couple of Polk's lines have a center channel with 2 5 inch woofers (XT30) and another center channel with 4 3" woofers (XT35). The XT35 is more expensive, but I can't tell if they are up-charging for the compact design or if I should expect better sound from a higher quantity of speakers/drivers?
-Monitor XT30 Center Channel Speaker
-Monitor XT35 Center Channel Speaker

I think you've got multiple threads started with basically the same project in mind. Here's my post that provides a solution to your need for a very decent system for a $2,500 budget.

I think it'll be a Killer System at that price point.

 

[Teetertotter?]

@Grymlot My only input is that the Center Channel does not have to be the same brand/matching as the mains. Same goes for the Side surrounds and woofer.
If you are into movies or TV, get a center channel, that will have the best DIALOG performance. Here is a TV viewing chart: TV sizes and viewing distance. My Size HT basement room is 8 X 12.

In my case, 55" 4K TV is 6.5 feet and front mains measure 7.2 feet, from my viewing distance. My bookshelf mains and center channel tweeters are at ear level, as most recommend. Front mains are 6 feet apart and pointed straight out into the room, for MY listening preference.

Have fun putting your system together!